The Lower Trail (/'laʊ.ər/, rhymes with "flower") is a

rail trail A rail trail is a shared-use path on railway right of way. Rail trails are typically constructed after a railway has been abandoned and the track has been removed, but may also share the right of way with active railways, light rail, or streetcar ...

that follows the

Juniata River The Juniata River () is a tributary of the Susquehanna River, approximately long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map , accessed August 8, 2011 in central Pennsylvania. The river is ...

in West-Central Pennsylvania from Flowing Springs in Blair County to Alfarata in Huntingdon County. The Lower Trail is owned and maintained by Rails to Trails of Central Pennsylvania, a 501c3 organization. The trail follows the path of the former

Pennsylvania Railroad The Pennsylvania Railroad (reporting mark PRR), legal name The Pennsylvania Railroad Company also known as the "Pennsy", was an American Class I railroad that was established in 1846 and headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was named ...

Petersburg Branch along the Frankstown Branch of the

. It is open free of charge to the public, though donations are accepted at all trail heads. The portion of the Lower Trail from Alfarata to

Williamsburg Williamsburg may refer to: Places *Colonial Williamsburg, a living-history museum and private foundation in Virginia *Williamsburg, Brooklyn, neighborhood in New York City *Williamsburg, former name of Kernville (former town), California *Williams ...

is part of the Pennsylvania Mid State Trail and

Great Eastern Trail The Great Eastern Trail is a network of hiking trails forming a long-distance route in the eastern United States. North of Georgia, the route runs parallel to, and slightly to the west of, the Appalachian Trail. As of 2022, it is still under deve ...

. In 2009, the trail was designated as a

National Recreation Trail The National Trails System is a series of trails in the United States designated "to promote the preservation of, public access to, travel within, and enjoyment and appreciation of the open-air, outdoor areas and historic resources of the Nati ...

by the

United States Department of the Interior The United States Department of the Interior (DOI) is one of the executive departments of the U.S. federal government headquartered at the Main Interior Building, located at 1849 C Street NW in Washington, D.C. It is responsible for the mana ...

Development

Historical significance

Much of the trail was the original

towpath A towpath is a road or trail on the bank of a river, canal, or other inland waterway. The purpose of a towpath is to allow a land vehicle, beasts of burden, or a team of human pullers to tow a boat, often a barge. This mode of transport ...

for the

Pennsylvania Canal The Pennsylvania Canal (or sometimes Pennsylvania Canal system) was a complex system of transportation infrastructure improvements including canals, dams, locks, tow paths, aqueducts, and viaducts. The Canal and Works were constructed and assemb ...

that operated in the early 1800s and was known as the "continuous waterways" which linked

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

and

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

. By the 1850s, area canals became obsolete due to the rise of the Pennsylvania Railroad and its passage through the Allegheny Mountains via the

Horseshoe Curve A horseshoe curve is a class of climbing curve in a roadbed which reverses turn direction (inflection) twice on either side of a single tight curve that varies through an angle of about 180 degrees or more. Such curves are more commonly found ...

. The Pennsylvania Railroad and other local railroads then developed branch lines along much of the towpaths.

History and evolution

Much of the Lower Trail, paralleling the Frankstown Branch of the Juniata River, was part of the original towpath of the

Pennsylvania Main Line Canal The Main Line of Public Works was a package of legislation passed by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in 1826 to establish a means of transporting freight between Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. It funded the construction of various long-proposed can ...

which operated in the mid-1800s. Following the end of the canal era, the Pennsylvania Railroad took over the property and developed the Petersburg Branch of the PRR on this alignment. In 1979, the rail corridor was abandoned. Over the next 8 years, the rails were sold for scrap and the corridor put up for sale. In 1989, Rails to Trails of Central Pennsylvania Inc. purchased the first eleven miles of the Lower Trail from Williamsburg to Alfarata from the Penn Central Corp. It was purchased due to the private donation of a Hollidaysburg attorney, T. Dean Lower. The trail was named in honor of Lower's late wife. The trail extension, from Williamsburg to Canoe Creek, was purchased by an anonymous donation for the land in 1994. State and federal funding assisted in the construction of the trail.

Trail membership organization

The Lower Trail is owned and maintained by Rails to Trails of Central Pennsylvania, a 501c3, non-profit organization as qualified by the Internal Revenue Service. The organization is sustained by its membership, which is open to any member of the public. As of 2019, there were approximately 375 dues paying members. The members elect a fifteen member board of directors who meet monthly to oversee the annual budget, trail maintenance, operations and development. The current president of the Board of Directors is Ethan Imhoff, and the vice president is Karl King.

Maintenance

Trail maintenance is performed by a dedicated group of volunteers who give their time to ensure the trail is in good condition during all four seasons. Maintenance is funded by membership dues, donations, and state and local grants.

Canoe Creek Extension

In fall of 2019, an extension of the trail will open that connects the Flowing Spring trail head into Canoe Creek State Park. The extension includes an underpass that sends the trail underneath US Route 22, so trail users do not have to cross over the roadway. The project was made possible with a large grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, County of Blair and Frankstown Township Supervisors.

Trail access points

The Lower Trail has six primary trail heads. All trail heads have parking and picnic tables available.

References

* * * * *

External links

Rails to Trails of Central Pennsylvania: Lower Trail

Lower Trail Trail Map
{{coord missing, Pennsylvania Rail trails in Pennsylvania Pennsylvania Railroad National Recreation Trails in Pennsylvania Protected areas of Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania Protected areas of Blair County, Pennsylvania